Fanbase Press’ coverage of the 2018 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the “Countdown to the Eisners” series. From Monday, June 4, through Friday, July 13, 2018, Fanbase Press will highlight each of the Eisner Awards’ 31 nomination categories, providing comic book industry members and readers alike the opportunity to learn more about the nominees and their work. Stay tuned for Fanbase Press’ continued coverage of the Eisner Awards, including live coverage of the ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 20.
Having become an Eisner Award category in 1992, the Best Anthology category honors excellence in comic book collections which focus on a specific theme or character, and its winners have included Dark Horse Presents, Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, and – most recently – Love Is Love. Here are the 2018 Eisner Award nominees for the Best Anthology category:
A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press)
A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn is a collection of stories by Trina Robbins based on a 1938 collection of short stories by her father, Muttel (Mutye) Perechudnik. Originally published in Yiddish, this new collection by Robbins has been translated to English and features “Muttel’s (later Max Perlson’s) life growing up in a shtetl in Belarus and immigrating to Brooklyn in the late 1910s at the age of 16. Here he became a journalist contributing short stories in Yiddish to Jewish newspapers,” according to publisher Bedside Press’ website.
Robbins notes of the collection, “They are slyly humorous portraits of his little village in Belarus, and of life in Brooklyn after he came to America. It’s a snapshot of a way of life that would end with the coming of the Nazis and WW2, although none of them knew it yet.”
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A Castle in England by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow)
A collaboration between writer Jamie Rhodes and illustrators Isaac Lenkiewicz, Briony May Smith, William Exley, Becky Palmer, and Isabel Greenberg, A Castle in England features five short stories that focus on the intriguing history of Scotney Castle in Kent. Published by Nobrow, the collection creates a visually striking account of historical fiction. According to the Historical Novel Society, ” . . . the graphic novel becomes a potent educational tool for young people and adults alike.”
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Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)
Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color features stories by 23 creators of color from around the world. Edited by Taneka Stotts, assistant edited by Shing Yin Khor, and published by Beyond Press, the anthology not only furthers the conversation of inclusivity and representation in the comic book industry by way of diverse stories, but also through the diversity of creators telling those stories. According to the project’s Kickstarter campaign, “We are no longer just the sidekicks or token characters, we’re creators with our own stories to tell. In Elements we’re the main characters, dismantling tropes with our own stories that see people like us saving the day. Be it quelling a volcano, learning to fight with our brand of love, or breaking cyberspace, we want to let these stories and characters take center stage.”
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Now #1 edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Launched by publisher Fantagraphics, Now is an ongoing showcase of all-new mini-comics intended to appeal to both seasoned and new comic book readers. Featuring comics by experienced and up-and-coming comic book creators from around the world, Now #1 was edited (and created) by Eric Reynolds and includes works by Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy), Noah Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski), Gabrielle Bell (Lucky), Dash Shaw (Cosplayers), Sammy Harkham (Crickets), Malachi Ward (Ancestor), J.C. Menu, Conxita Herrero, Tobias Schalken, Antoine Cossé, Tommi Parrish, Sara Corbett, Daria Tessler, Kaela Graham, and Rebecca Morgan. The collection as a whole is released three times per year, and according to the publisher’s website, “The only common denominator to each piece is an exemplary use of the comics form.”
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The Spirit Anthology edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)
“With love, respect, and a great deal of grin-inducing wit, a stunning array of top-tier international comic book creators celebrate the centenary of the birth of Will Eisner (1917-2017) in a project instigated by John McShane and [Lakes International Comic Art Festival] itself, then directed and edited by Festival Patron Sean Phillips,” notes the official LICAF website. Featuring 10 self-contained stories around The Spirit and his crime-fighting saga, this collection is styled in a fashion that homages Will Eisner’s original newspaper strip.
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Stay tuned to the Fanbase Press website tomorrow as we continue our “Countdown to the Eisners” coverage! Plus, follow Fanbase Press’ Facebook, Twitter (@Fanbase_Press), and Instagram (@fanbasepress) with the hashtag #FPSDCC to stay up to date on our SDCC and Eisner Awards updates, including a live-tweet of the 2018 Eisner Award Ceremony from the Hilton Bayfront Hotel at San Diego Comic-Con on the evening of Friday, July 20th!
